Commonwealth Local Government Forum

Local democracy

This section contains information relating to all aspects of lcoal democracy and good governance at the local level. The Commonwealth principles on good practice for local democracy and good governance - known as the Aberdeen Agenda - which have been adopted by all CLGF members and are incorporated in the Commonwealth Charter, set the framework for the promotion of local democracy in the Commonwealth. The materials in this section relate to the constitutional and legal provisions for local government and include a range of studies, policy and training materials on local elections, leadership, community participation, representative local government, local government management and partnerships between local government and other key stakeholders such as traditional authorities.

Sub-topics:

  • The Aberdeen Agenda
  • Community participation
  • Constitutional/legislative provisions
  • Decentralisation policy and practice
  • Local government elections
  • Local leadership
  • Local government management
  • Partnerships in governance
  • Decentralisation in post-conflict environments
  • Local government associations
  • Transparency and anti-corruption
  • Traditional leadership and local governance

Featured

The ‘silent pistol’ in Ghana’s local government system: presiding members vs. chief executives

Decentralisation and local governance aim at local economic development, but collaboration among key actors at the local level is essential in realising this objective. However, at district assembly level Ghana exhibits problematic conflicts between district chief executives (DCEs), who head the executive committee, and presiding members (PMs) who convene and preside over assembly deliberations, acting as speaker. This study aims to unpack the main causes of such unsavoury conflicts by using 13 case studies from the Ashanti Region. Both primary and secondary data were collected for the study. Primary data was gathered from a selection of 40 key informants drawn from three main groups including DCEs, PMs, and other stakeholders such as regional coordinating council members, assembly members and chiefs. The main research instrument was one-on-one in-depth interviews with participants. The study found deep-seated conflicts between DCEs and PMs, in some cases even transcending these two actors to involve a greater section of actors within the local government administration. The study noted that professional bureaucrats within the local government service are affected when allegations of affiliation are levelled against them. The study also found that the legal status of DCEs and PMs appears to be the main driver of potential conflict, although other context-specific issues were also prevalent.

Author: Issah Justice Musah-Surugu, Emmanuel Yeboah-Assiamah Publisher: University of Technology Sydney Press Publication year: 2015


Perspectives on Australian Local Government Reform edited by Brian Dollery and Ian Tiley - Book Review

Review of the book: "Perspectives on Australian Local Government Reform" edited by Brian Dollery and Ian Tiley

Author: Bligh Grant Publisher: University of Technology Sydney Press Publication year: 2015


Local governance in Bangladesh: policy and strategy framework

Review of the book: "Local governance in Bangladesh: policy and strategy framework" by Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Talukdar

Author: Tofail Ahmed Publisher: University of Technology Sydney Press Publication year: 2015


Comparing local fiscal autonomy in the water and sanitation sectors of Johannesburg and Nairobi

The rationale for local fiscal autonomy suggests that local expenditure and local revenue generation should remain in close proximity. This is achieved through fiscal decentralisation to local government, to ensure efficient provision of local services that align with local needs, and to improve accountability to residents. Fiscal decentralisation has found resonance in developing countries through local government reforms, but in Africa fiscal decentralisation has been focussed mainly on revenue sharing, except in a few cases where some local fiscal autonomy has been achieved. Urbanisation in Africa is likely to continue (UN-Habitat, 2008), necessitating an increase in municipal service delivery which African cities must finance - hence the need for local fiscal autonomy. Local fiscal autonomy is arguably contentious for African cities, partly because provision of municipal services must be tempered with considerations of equity and redistribution to the poorer urban populations, and because inadequate welfare nets from national government do not subsidise the gap in municipal revenue. In the recent past, Kenya and South Africa adopted local government reforms in different forms that has yielded different forms of local fiscal autonomy. The paper conducts a comparative of local fiscal autonomy in municipal services provision in Nairobi and Johannesburg.

Author: Angelita Kithatu-Kiwekete Publisher: University of Technology Sydney Press Publication year: 2014


Panchayati Raj and Dalits in India: a post 73rd amendment scenario

This paper is a scholastic enquiry on the politics of the marginalised, with special reference to Panchayati Raj institutions in the milieu of the Post 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act in India. It is a product of my theoretical reading and field based observations in the process of pursuing PhD in Political science the area of Dalit participation in Panchayati Raj institutions.

Author: Sudarshan Balaboina Publisher: u Publication year: 2014


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